Double disasters hit ZSL project sites in the Philippines

8th November 2013

ZSL is providing emergency assistance to some of the areas worst-affected by Typhoon Haiyan and last month’s earthquake in the Philippines — areas that have been otherwise overlooked by the international relief effort.

Two massive natural disasters — a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, followed by Typhoon Haiyan, one of the worst tropical storms on record — have hit the Philippines over the past three weeks. They have caused widespread devastation across the central part of the country, including coastal communities and conservation projects run by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and long-term partner Project Seahorse ( www.projectseahorse.org ).

These towns and villages in Bantayan (northern Cebu), Panay, and Danajon Bank — about 40 in total — have been overlooked by the national relief and recovery effort, so we have organised an emergency response based on our intimate local knowledge of the areas and strong relationships with the people there.

Early reports from our field staff indicate that over 2,000 households in Danajon Bank alone have been badly affected by the earthquake. Typhoon damage in the Bantayan Island Group in Northern Cebu and in the Ajuy and Capiz regions of Panay are extensive, with 80-100% of homes destroyed. We cannot yet begin to deduce the situation for marine resources and conservation.